Keystone Oaks boys soccer team off to a hot start
Keystone Oaks boys soccer in 2017 had a record of 12-6-, making the playoffs but losing in the first round. This year is a different story as they are undefeated in the conference and overall play.
Keystone Oaks is off to a 9-0 start, including an impressive 1-0 win over South Park who hasn’t lost a section game in years. Alex Grattan, a senior, feels great about this win.
“It felt pretty great. It was really insane. It was intense and the fact that we were able to keep a clean sheet against them was pretty incredible. It’s leading us through the season right now.”
This was not the only impressive win they have had this year, though. They won 9-1 against South Allegheny, 11-0 against McGuffey, and an astonishing 21-0.. The biggest question is how can they keep it up?
“Playing the same game we always play,” stated Grattan.
He also said that they are better than last year, as well.
“As a team, we definitely move the ball a lot better on the ground. We communicate a lot better; we also get the spaces that we need to be at, and we also don’t let one player do all the work for us.”
Gio Valforte, a senior captain, also thinks the team gels a lot better than last year. He also thinks this year’s team is more experienced and that they play more as a team, which has helped the team grow.
“The team has played with each other ever since we were little and growing up playing KO travel with each other has made us gel into the team we are today.”
The team lost a big part of the team when Nate Taylor graduated last year. He scored 21 goals during the season.
“Last year, we would just pass the ball to Nate Taylor and hope he would be our hero, score and do all the work. Most of our guys didn’t have experience to push us over the edge. But now we have the experience, and we have learned that we don't need to rely on one single person to win but as a team and unit.”
As the season progresses on, expect the Golden Eagles to keep soaring. They have a very good chance to challenge other undefeated teams like Quaker Valley, Charleroi, and Deer Lakes. The Golden Eagles are on track for a home playoff game and a deep run into WPIAL playoffs.
Posted: Friday, September 28, 2018